Welcome to Slytherin
by TheFreedomSock
Summary: A Speech by the Slytherin Head Boy Who are the Slytherins really?


There are four stereotypes at Hogwarts; The Brave, The Loyal, The Clever and The Bastards. There is no real one word to sum up the archetypal Slytherin. Perhaps they are self-centred, maybe cowardly, cunning even. There is no one quality. Which is why everyone always gets so confused, even the Slytherins themselves. All they know is that they are Slytherins, that they alone are each other's family now as they will get no support from outside the house. Stick with Slytherin and Slytherin will stick with you, regardless of the fact that they are a house of back-stabbers and loyalty comes under the Hufflepuff description rather than Slytherin. Who cares about the rules? They're Slytherin.

"The world now hates you; every single member of every other house in the school and out now officially and unofficially detests you. They all think they are better than you because you are a Slytherin. You are cowardly and back-stabbing, self-centred and cunning, and there is nothing you can do to convince them otherwise, so don't even bother." No Slytherin is kept under illusions as to their status, the whole house gathers in the common room on the first day of term to listen to their reminder. "The world doesn't want to know who we are, they don't know, they don't want to know and they don't deserve to know."

"We know them, we know all about them. They are not better than you. You are not foolishly noble, you are not blind and a pushover, you are not so busy stuffing your head into a book full of crap that you'll never need that you can't see the world coming, you are not a fool. You play the game and come out on top, whichever way you can because there is _no way_, that anyone else will let you beat them by their rules. You make your own rules and you win by them. You stick together, united we stand, and Slytherin does stand. Divided we fall, and we will _not_ allow our grand house to fall after centuries of the rest of the world willing us to end. _We will not give them the satisfaction_."

"Slytherin is one quarter standing against thrice our force; they will not see us weak. We are strong, we are always strong. Even when we feel at our most weak, we will still stand strong and no one will ever know when we are weak. Here in Slytherin we are family, but trust is stupid. Trust those who are proven trustworthy and then proven again. Blind trust is stupid yes, but no trust is even more so."

The Slytherin Code is recited, the only rules they are required to stand by.  
>1. Slytherins defend their own. We are too few and too mistrusted by others to afford inside battles. If mistrusting of another member, tell someone. If annoyed at another member, channel your anger into taunting and fights with enemies outside of Slytherin. Let them hate so long as they fear.<br>2. A mistake commonly made: Dark is not necessarily evil. The majority of Slytherins are dark, but whether you are evil or not is your choice and nobody else's.  
>3. If you run from a fight beyond your abilities, you are not a coward. You are intelligent.<br>4. Blood and money, though often useful, are no necessity. Ambition is all that is needed for success.

5. Never underestimate anyone. It could be the last thing you ever do. Even muggles, they may be slightly inferior, but you should still never underestimate them.  
>6. Pride is not arrogance. Arrogance is idiotic and no true Slytherin is an idiot.<br>7. Trust is not impossible. You can trust those who are proven trustworthy and then proven again. Blind trust is stupid yes, but no trust is even more so.  
>8. Never let your guard down. You never know what is lurking around the corner, because even the best protection and wards have some type of deactivation.<br>9. Just as in life, in Slytherin there is no such thing as 'for free'. There is a price for anything and everything.  
>10. Don't treat others as you want to be treated, treat others as they treat you.<br>11. Enough is never enough. Seriously, it isn't.  
>12. It is not my job to tell you what is right and what is wrong, so I will simply say this: Do what you think is right. Though it may not always be the right thing, it is the best you can do. True, the world always seems to demand more than you can give. If that's the case, then screw the world. Slytherins make and live by our own rules and nothing they can do is going to change that.<p>

"Now, this ends here. We are not open and expressive and emotional so you can all just shut up, and if you have a problem, don't come to me. We're family, but that doesn't mean I can't take advantage. Blind trust is stupid. So basically, as I'm sure all the little firsties won't remember all that, we are family, trust only when it's earned, stick together, don't give anyone else the satisfaction, no one knows us and they neither want to deserve to and the world hates you all. Welcome to Slytherin."


End file.
